New research from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University finds that attempts by the federal government to rein in obesity fail because regulators choose broad interventions that assume all obese individuals suffer from the same problems.

Sherzod Abdukadirov, co-author of the paper, says, “As parents know, you need to provide several options at the dinner table to get your children to eat their vegetables and other healthy foods.  If we need choices just in the home, why would we think a one-size-fits-all policy to end obesity would work for the entire country?” 

Additionally, the study finds that regulators impose regulations on everyone – not just those with a weight problem.   Strict regulations also cut down on the solutions offered by private companies, such as gyms and weight loss centers.

You can read a summary and find a copy of the paper here.  Please let me know if you’d like to speak with one of the authors.